This year, 2006, marks the Silver
Jubilee of Swami's University, namely, the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of
Higher Learning. While the University itself formally came into existence in
1981, the seeds were sown by Swami as early as 1968, when He established a
college for women in Anantapur. Since then, Swami's mission in the area of
education has come a long way.

There are many things unique about
Swami's University. The free education part no doubt figures prominently in
the list of virtues but there are other aspects that are more important
which, unfortunately, receive far less attention. Today, we would like to
focus on one of these.

Swami often reminds us that a human being is a composite of the body [that
is gross], the Mind [that is subtle], and the Atma [that is primordial and
the source/cause of everything, including Creation]. Education, Swami says,
must therefore address all these three aspects of a human being. If it fails
to, then the education imparted would not be balanced, and lack of balance
in a human being can cause not only a lot of problems to the individual
concerned, but indeed to Society as a whole. Thus, in Swami's University,
everything is done according to the philosophy of what is called Integral
Education. Integral Education means nursing in balanced proportions, the
body, the Mind and also the Heart. If there is such a balance, then the
student blossoms as a person of character. Thus it is that Swami often says
that the end of education must be character.

Time there was, when teachers and parents took character moulding very
seriously. Indeed, this was true in all societies. In India of course, there
is a strong tradition in this respect to which Swami often calls attention.
In England, the great public schools were supposed to train students to
become leaders with character. In America, there is the shining example of
George Washington who as a boy dared to tell the truth, unmindful of the
punishment he might receive. There is also the inspiring example of Abraham
Lincoln, to whom Swami often makes a reference.

Things have changed dramatically after World War II. Many factors have
contributed to this almost abrupt change, and we need not go into all the
painful details; in any case they are well known. But this much can be said;
almost everywhere, education has become a business. One might give all kinds
of socio-economic reasons for this phenomenon but the question remains: If
character development is considered irrelevant in the scheme of education,
then where does it leave Society, especially in this age of Science and
Technology? Few bother about this; even if some do, they brush aside
concerns and join the rat race.

Parents may say money is important;
educational establishments may say money is important; graduates also may
say money is important. But there is something far more important and that
is morality. If parents, educationists and Society all abandon moral values,
then what would happen to humanity? Science and technology are awesome tools
and if humans use them without compunction, then Society and indeed the
environment can get into all kinds of problems; in fact, this is already
happening.

Just to give an example, in the UK, they wanted to pass a bill prohibiting
the screening of TV ads promoting fast foods and soft drinks during
children's programs, because they were considered harmful to children.
Parents and health authorities were deeply worried by the alarming rise in
child obesity and juvenile diabetes; hence the idea for such a ban. But the
big corporations fought the idea of the ban tooth and nail. The point here
is that the corporations peddling these items couldn't care less about the
damage to Society; market share is all that matters to them.

One can multiply this example many, many times. Wherever we look, it is the
educated who are disturbing Society in umpteen ways, ranging from generating
computer viruses to inventing all kinds of weapons that promote conflict and
violence, not to mention unwanted gadgets that fuel unnecessary and
sometimes dangerous desires. All this has happened in fifty short years.

These days, there is a lot of corporate fraud and people say it is all
because people have lost a sense of values. To correct the situation, more
laws are being passed. However, if there is no individual character, then
Society as a whole would lack character, which means that frauds would go on
and even multiply. In turn, one would have to increase the police force,
appoint more judges and so on. Society has to pay for all this. But even if
Society does this, what is the guarantee that the result would be favourable?
After all, policemen and judges without character would compound the
problem! How can one suddenly expect judges and policemen to be very honest,
when they too have come through the same, 'de-hydrated' educational system?

Yes, as one educationist in the West lamented, today's universities produce
clever devils! Many years ago, addressing the American Association for the
Advancement of Science, Victor Weisskopf, a professor in MIT declared,
'Knowledge without compassion is inhuman while compassion without knowledge
is ineffective.'

In its own way, the world secretly realises this but caught up as it is in
the rat race, it makes every effort to ignore the writing on the wall.
Indeed, and it is only in Swami's Institute that instruction in worldly
knowledge is beautifully blended with basic human values. That is what makes
Swami's University so important.

The question is often asked: 'OK, students in Swami's Institutes get a good
grounding in values and all that; but does it work in the wide world out
there. Where is the proof?.' Dear Subscriber, there is ample proof and be
assured we would write about that in later Sunday mails. Meanwhile, we pray
that Swami's Grace be showered on you and your family, and that you may
continuously enjoy Bliss.